Photo By Morgan Over | 210505-N-HR587-1035 YOKOSUKA, Japan (May 5, 2021) — Capt. Rich Jarrett, Commander,...... read more read more
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Beginning life in Japan can be entertaining as much as it is challenging, and a large part of the difficulty of transitioning from life in America to being stationed at Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, (CFAY) is adapting to the ways of life that Japanese culture cultivates. This is most commonly experienced when first arriving in Japan and setting out to find somewhere to call home.
Naturally, this is what introduces most to CFAY's housing services center. The housing office here in CFAY provides newly-arrived families with a step-by-step process on how to attain housing on and off base.
“When it comes to family housing, there’s a couple of different ways it could go,” said Mr. Esteban Abreu, the program director for CFAY’s installation housing. “If there’s availability on base, we will work as hard as we can to get you directly into a home on-base. If there isn’t any available housing, then that’s when we would start looking at off-base housing.”
One of the biggest hurdles when house hunting off-base is the language barrier, for some it may seem like an insurmountable task. This is an area where the housing office can step in and offer their support and services.
“For living off-base, that process is pretty different from what we’re used to,” said Abreu. “If there are any properties in the area, we can show them to you, and then reach out to the agents and can set up appointments for you, translate documents for you, we can do all the heavy lifting.”
Another hurdle to leap past in regards to life in Japan is size. Houses are smaller. Americans may be used to the ‘bigger is better’ mentality, but that does not apply here. With such a high population, and, relative to America, small amount of land, even more costly homes will inevitably be physically smaller.
Combining this with large up-front monetary payments for housing that is very common across Japan, it is easy to see all of this and be filled with a stark sense of trepidation.
According to Military OneSource, the Department of Defense’s official website to assist with military-related life issues, initial housing expenses range from $4,000-$10,000, to possibly even more. Yokosuka is at the top-end of the list, in regard to housing expenses.
“There are many options out there,” said Abreu. “Our team is here to support everybody. That’s another thing we’re there for. We can help you, and encourage you, to negotiate for fair prices. If the price to entry for off-base housing is above what you’re able to provide, we can speak to landlords, real estate agents, and try to work out what’s best for everyone.”
All in all, it is clear that despite the similarities between Naval bases all around the world, there are culture-specific challenges that need to be addressed. It is important to note that these issues can be resolved much more efficiently by maintaining contact with CFAY’s housing office.
If you have any more questions about how to prepare for your arrival in Japan, head over to https://ffr.cnic.navy.mil/Navy-Housing/Housing-By-Region/Japan/CFA-Yokosuka/ for more information about all of CFAY’s housing opportunities.
| Date Taken: | 12.15.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.24.2023 00:52 |
| Story ID: | 441099 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 520 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, CFAY Housing Office Provides Service for Newly-Arrived Families, by PO2 Conner Houghtaling, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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